Comey sat down with Stephanopoulos for 5-hour interview

The James Comey media blitz has officially begun, with the former FBI director sitting down for a marathon five-hour interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News ahead of the release of his much-anticipated memoir, a source familiar with the rollout confirmed to POLITICO on Wednesday.

The source did not comment on what details Comey provided about his time as FBI director and the circumstances that led to his May 2017 firing, including his meetings with President Donald Trump. He also could not say when, or if, parts of the interview will air on ABC in advance of a scheduled hourlong prime-time interview on ABC on April 15, and Comey’s slated appearance on ABC’s "The View" on April 18.

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Comey is preparing a media blitz of at least two weeks around the release of the book, including a live interview with CNN on April 19, an MSNBC interview later that day, an appearance on Fox News on April 26, and a PBS NewsHour interview on April 30.

The book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership,” is already near the top of the best-seller list on Amazon, and is widely expected to contain new details from Comey about how Trump allegedly tried to get him to shut down at least part of the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election before firing him, and Comey’s involvement in a wide array of related issues currently under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller.

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POLITICO reported earlier this week that as the former FBI director returns to the national spotlight, the White House is doing little to formally prepare for the onslaught because Trump could blow up any prepared talking points with a single tweet.

Aside from congressional testimony and a few oblique tweets, Comey has largely remained silent about the circumstances leading up to his firing, which triggered Mueller’s appointment. The special counsel is now actively investigating whether Comey’s firing itself was an attempt by Trump or others around him to obstruct justice.

More details about interactions between Comey and Trump that could shed light on the potential obstruction of justice issue are also expected to trickle out, either as part of the book rollout, or by others close to Comey who are also familiar with them.

On Monday night, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow disclosed one potentially significant development — handwritten notes purportedly from former acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente which, if accurate, would provide contemporaneous evidence backing Comey’s version of events, including his conversations with Trump.

Boente, now the FBI's general counsel, was in charge of the Russia investigation early in the Trump administration, and notified a Justice Department colleague in January 2018 that he had been asked to testify by special counsel Robert Mueller, according to a letter obtained by "The Rachel Maddow Show."

At the time, Boente was still acting head of the Justice Department's national security division. The show also aired what it said were contemporaneous notes from Boente about his conversations with Comey. The snippets of notes appear to corroborate Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, in which Comey said that he had informed Boente, who was his Justice Department boss at the time, that Trump had complained to him that the Russia investigation was "a cloud" that was "impairing his ability to act on behalf of the country." Comey also said Trump asked whether he could "lift the cloud" by declaring publicly that Trump wasn't under investigation.